During the month of August, new members receive a free 1-year Chapter membership with they join National as a regular member ($255 annual dues + $65 initiation fee). When completing the application, you must refer to promo code AUG13.

Only $10

Fill in your first and last name below, and if you are a member or board member, then Buy Now!

Our May presenter, Chris Desmond, has an extensive media industry background. However, these days he is busy managing a national research study right from Marco Island – the “10,000 Islands Dolphin Project.” Please join us on Tuesday, May 28th for “How a Marco Island Dolphin Survey Rode the Wave to International Recognition!”

Chris and his team had a vision to create a business model that had not been done in their industry before. They wanted to conduct dolphin research by way of the general public both participating and paying for it. They weren’t willing to sacrifice quality either. Their approach was to set very high standards for their research, hire staff that had the background, education, passion and communication skills needed to fulfill these standards. Not surprisingly, Public Relations would be one of the key components vital to their success!

Join us to hear how this local effort became national news, and how they’ve extended their efforts into schools around the country.

To Register – Click Here

Chris Desmond Bio

Chris Desmond is Founder and Director of Sea Excursions 10,000 Islands Dolphin Project. Launched in 2006, the Project is a long term study of the abundance, distribution, movement, association patterns and behavior of bottlenose dolphins in Southwest Florida. In 2011, he launched their “Environmental Studies Program,” which delivers field video instantly, via the internet, to classrooms and the home for educational purposes. He serves on the Advisory Committee of The International Ecotourism Society, where he has been a presenter at their past two North American Conferences. Chris is also a member of Ashoka and TED.

Prior to his work with dolphins, Chris held a multifaceted, national career in the media industry. He was the lead strategic planner as part of a management group – and celebrity actor and comedian Bill Cosby, backed by Goldman Sachs, led a $4 billion effort to acquire an existing “Big Three” television network.

Chris served as President and CEO of Pace Group International and was responsible for managing the day-to-day authoring, production and publishing of English-As-Second Language television programs, videos, audiotapes and books. Chris’s proprietary products are used worldwide by individuals, colleges, universities and businesses. They are also offered through the mass media network and cable television, U.S. Embassies, retail outlets and site licenses with major businesses.

Chris also worked at CBS where his responsibilities ranged from corporate strategic planning for Chairman William S. Paley and CBS Records to managing national sales, programming, news and operations for the five CBS Owned & Operated Television Stations, as well as radio stations KMOX-TV in St. Louis and KCBS-TV in Los Angeles.

Some of his principal accomplishments were his involvement in the development of Electronic News Gathering (ENG); the development of the #1 rated television program, Dinah; and the arrangement and production of two national news events with the White House involving two U.S. Presidents.

Deborah Jonsson – Avow
www.avowcares.org

Why are you involved in PRSA Gulf Coast Chapter?

Before moving from New York to Naples in 2003, I had been involved with the local and state level School Public Relations Associations including serving as a board member in both. The professional education and networking available through my membership helped me immensely as a new practitioner. When I arrived in Naples, I immediately looked for a local public relations association chapter to engage with. I’ve been a member of our PRSA Gulf Coast Chapter for a number of years. I enjoy networking with members and gain helpful insight from the monthly education presentations.

What position do you currently hold on the board?

About two years ago I decided it was time for me to give back so I joined the Gulf Coast Chapter Board. Currently, I’m serving as Member Recruitment Chair. My affiliation with the Board has been a very positive experience. I’ve been able to participate in Sunshine District leadership programs and attend annual conferences, which in addition to helping with my professional development, connects me with peers from across the state.

How long have you been working for Avow? What is your favorite aspect about working there?

I’m the Public Relations Manager at Avow and I’ve worked there since 2003. Key services at Avow revolve around end-of-life care and grief support – very difficult subjects that require creative public relations efforts to build awareness. We are also a non-profit so we need to fundraise. My work at Avow has been very rewarding and has offered me a wide variety of experience supporting the re-branding of the organization and multi-million dollar fundraising campaigns.

What is your day-to-day like?

A day in the life for the PR Manager at Avow would make your head spin! Today I met with staff to design a community outreach program, created promotional materials for a fall fundraising event, designed and placed advertising for our marketing department, scheduled our television commercial video shoot, reviewed news releases, preliminary design work on an upcoming fundraising campaign logo, answered 25 questions from staff, wrote a thank you note to volunteer photographer, ordered print materials from commercial printer, made a presentation to a local organization we hope to partner with for a future friend-raising event. And that was just by lunch!

Do you have any hobbies that you enjoy outside of work?

When I’m not working I enjoy time with my husband, children and grandchildren and my dog! I’m a painter, but my creative time is limited. I also enjoy travel; I’m looking forward to a trip to Ireland this fall.

You are probably familiar with two national forums called TED and The Aspen Institute.  But did you know we have one right here in our own back yard?  ”IMAGINE SOLUTIONS” just took place in February and has attracted national sponsorships from GE, CVS/Caremark and Shell Oil Corporation to name a few; and national media partners, such as NOVA, National Geographic Society, the Economist and Harvard Business Review.

You may ask yourself, how does a presentation about a forum such as this affect me and my business, organization or clients? Join us on Tuesday, April 23rd to find out. CEO of Imagine Solutions, Randy Antik, explains how this world class forum started in Naples. He’ll herald its successes, as well as be open about its challenges. But most of all, you can be a part of influencing where it goes from here! IMAGINE SOLUTIONS provides our PRSA chapter with an ideal case study that is making news and history right now. A forum of this size and importance can have the same national and global appeal, as well as cultural and economic impact on our community as TED or The Aspen Institute have on California and Colorado. The demographic it attracts could be very beneficial to us and our target markets. Mark your calendars for Tuesday, April 23rd to be a part of the discovery!

Schedule:

11:30 – 11:55 a.m. Networking

11:55 a.m. – 12:20 p.m. Lunch

12:00 – 1:00 p.m. “The Effects of a World Class Forum on Southwest Florida .”

Cost:

$24 PRSA Members

$29 Non-Members

$27 Non-Profits

$15 Students

*No shows will be billed if no prior notice given and only checks accepted at the door

NOTE: To guarantee seating and meal, you must register online by Friday, April 19th.

NOTE: WALK-INS WELCOME AS SPACE IS AVAILABLE. AN ADDITIONAL $5 WILL BE ADDED TO THE BASE PRICE.

 REGISTER NOW! CLICK HERE

About Randy Antik

Randy Antik lives full-time in Naples, Fla. and is chief executive officer for Searching for Solutions Institute (SFSI), a 501c3 public foundation established in 2007.

Antik devoted two years to traveling across the country to meet with the top executives at the Aspen Institute, TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design), the Milken Global Institute, and many thought leaders as part of the market research in establishing SFSI in Naples. A long-time attendee of thought-leader conferences, Antik saw an unmet need for intellectual networking with a purpose and an untapped resource for bringing together like-minded people who want to effect social change and make a difference both in Southwest Florida and at a national level.

In his role as chief experience officer, Randy Antik is the principal author of the “learn + involve” strategy to bring alive the vision of “enabling exceptional leaders to leverage their capabilities to effectively address social issues.” Randy travels the country meeting with potential national sponsors and speakers for the annual Imagine Solutions conference. He has built a network of thought-leaders through his long-standing associations at various conferences and is responsible for researching and securing world-class speakers for the Imagine Solutions conference.

Randy Antik has spent more than 35 years in his professional career working for private families (Pritzger, Carlson, Bass) and private equity firms (Warburg Pincus and Wells, Carson, Anderson & Stowe). Randy was involved in a number of turnaround and fast growth situations with a strong emphasis on consumer products and marketing service companies. He has served in the CEO role for six companies on behalf of these major investors, representing more than $4 billion in annualized revenues. Randy Antik founded a marketing consulting firm, Swat Team Partners in 2001, where he is currently “of counsel.”

Antik is passionate about education, leadership, the arts and sciences, tomorrow’s heroes and health care, where he has been involved on both a local and a national level in supporting a series of projects in the nonprofit and public sectors. These include working with nonprofit visionaries such as All Kinds of Minds, a nonprofit foundation affiliated with the University of North Carolina and Dr. Mel Levine; executive board member for Meadows School of Arts and Communications at SMU; orchestrator in the development of a wood art gallery concept in Neiman Marcus for 25 emerging artists; supporter of French Wood Artists Conclave in 2003 and 2006; involved with several major photographers in developing cultural and business affiliations including Frans Lanting, Brian Lanker and Alison Shaw; supporting Wade Davis and his work on behalf of National Geographic in anthropological studies; sponsor of Tibet Antique Arts show in the U.S. in 2000 and 2003; new project development with Wood Hole Oceanographic Institute; business sponsor of MIT Media Lab and friend to RISD, Cooper Union.

Antik has served on the following boards: Sacred Heart Hospital (10 years), Outward Bound (four years), IMC2, All Kinds of Minds (founders committee), YMCA (president), U.S. Track and Field AAU, SMU Meadows School and Museum, RISD advisor to president.

He holds a BA from Colby College and a graduate degree from Harvard University.

Niccole Neebling – Naples Hilton www.hiltonnaples.com

Where is your hometown?

I am originally from Norristown, Pennsylvania and am a true Steelers fan!

Why did you choose to live in Naples, FL?

In 1996 I came to Florida on vacation, while working with American Express Financial Advisors and noticed there was an office in Ft Myers. I asked if I could work at that branch and that’s where it all started. One of my favorite things about living in Naples is that I am never more than a 5 minute drive from our beautiful beaches.  I never take it for granted and still get tremendous joy out of walking along the beach and spotting new shells to add to our home’s decor.

When did you realize PR was your passion?

I was doing sales and marketing for the hospitality/tourism department for the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB but also worked with their public relations department very closely and it amazed me how much PR helped them get more business. I also had a small, photo-organizing business way back when and decided I was going to teach an adult-education class at the local high school. I wrote a rudimentary press release about the class and dropped it off at the Naples Daily News office. The next day, a reporter called me and asked if he could come to my house, see where I worked and do a story on me; he put me on the very first page of the Lifestyle section. Not to mention, I received 64 phone calls to attend my class by 10am the morning the article came out. So that showed me first-hand what a nice press release can do for your business! This is when I got the first taste of PR and instantly found it fascinating how quickly it can grow a business.

Why are you involved with PRSA Gulf Coast Chapter?

I am involved with this chapter for many reasons, especially for the educational aspect. I love hearing what other people are doing, meeting new people and building relationships. I really enjoy the members and I think the chapter has done a fantastic job.

What is your favorite aspect about PR?

Social media, because of what it can do and I love the whole concept of people talking with one another. Face to face meetings is what I sell, and I feel that social media brings us one step closer to building business as well as personal relationships.

What is your typical day like at the Naples Hilton as the Director of Sales, Catering and Marketing?

There is no such thing as a typical day really, but when I come into work I look at what happened at the hotel the day before and what is coming up for the new day as well. I complete the administrative work and look at the numbers and oversee the hotel to make sure we are where we’re supposed to be. The sales aspect is still important, and I work on finding out ways on how to promote the hotel. Recently, we won a Wedding Wire Award so I wrote a press release for that!

Do you have any hobbies outside of work?

I love photography expeditions with my husband and taking pictures of my daughter, Lexie, who is a little over a year old. I took a picture of her everyday for the first year of her life, including Thursday at 8:48pm which is the day and time she was born. It’s a fun hobby to take part in with my family.

Niccole’s Motto: I know I’m lucky because I work hard to be so.

Cyndee Woolley, APR – C2 Communications, LLC
www.c2-com.com

What is your favorite aspect about living and working in Naples, Florida?

I was born and raised in Naples, so seeing the growth through the years has been amazing. As a business owner, I feel fortunate to help shape the future of our community by helping organizations tell their story.

Working in the public relations field, what’s one element that you absolutely love?

The thing that I love the most about PR is being able to tell a story that moves people emotionally. There have been so many times throughout the years where I’ve met someone who touched a life… saved a life… inspired positive change… I look back and like to think that by telling those stories, I helped touch a life and inspired someone to take that next step.

Why are you involved in PRSA

The mission of PRSA is to Advance the Profession and the Professional. Investing my time in PRSA and being an Accredited Public Relations Professional has been such a rewarding and educational experience. It has afforded me the opportunity to hone my business and public relations skills while building a strong network of peers that I can call any time.

What position do you currently hold and how have you served in the past?

Currently I am the chair of the Sunshine District for PRSA and the Assembly Delegate for our Gulf Coast chapter. In my time with PRSA, I’ve held all the positions from membership, programs, secretary, treasurer, assembly delegate, chair elect and chair on both the chapter level and the district level. As you progress through the leadership ranks with PRSA, your knowledge and network just continues to grow. Many of the PR pros in our area serve a much greater geographic area than Collier County. I’ve had the chance to collaborate with PR pros from California to New York and many states in between.

What is your typical day-to-day like?

Part of what I love about PR is that there is no typical day. A day might start out in a business suit with executives and end at a photo shoot on the beach… or a video shoot at a non-profit organization… or in cowboy boots at the Farm City BBQ. The challenge of finding the right way to help a client get their message across can be as fun as you make it.

Do you have any hobbies that you enjoy outside of work?

My main passion in life is my daughter. She is involved in a variety of sports, but our favorite thing is to plan adventures that last from a few hours to a couple of weeks. I love to see the world through her eyes because she can enjoy the amazing simplicity of almost anything. Last December we took a trip to Washington DC. Besides seeing the White House, her second favorite thing was seeing the different colors and shapes of the leaves. I had forgotten that she’d never seen “Fall” like this.

Six local PR and media professionals from Fort Myers and Naples will provide information and tips on the following topics:
·        Writing News Releases
·        Crisis Communication
·        Communicating with the Media
·        Event Planning
·        Social Media
·        Public Speaking and more

Admission: $10 per attendee
-includes the full presentation and a light breakfast.
The Election Center is located at:
13180 S. Cleveland Ave. / US 41 (behind Robb & Stucky across from the Bell Tower Shops)
Seating is limited. Information and reservations are available at gulfcoastprsa.org or fprasw.org.

Click Here To Register

About the Public Relations Association of America
The Public Relations Association of America was chartered in 1947 and is the world’s largest and leading organization of public relations professionals with more than 21,000 professionals across the United States. Furthermore, there are more than 10,000 students who are members of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) at colleges and universities here and abroad. The Gulf Coast Chapter of the PRSA is dedicated to providing you with educational opportunities for personal and professional growth achievement.

About Florida Public Relations Association
The Florida Public Relations Association was founded in 1938 and is the oldest public relations organization in the United States. As a statewide Association, FPRA holds approximately 1,500 professional and student members that all form the 15 professional and 11 student chapters. The Southwest Florida chapter has over 100 members and is dedicated to programs and activities that enhance the success of public relations professionals in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry, and Glades Counties

Barry Nicholls – Paradise Jewelry
www.paradise-jewelry.com

What is your favorite aspect about owning a jewelry store?

I love getting to be creative and deal with happy people, and it’s a fun business! There’s a lot of magic and romance involved that I get to share with people. It’s a very special place. I get to see their faces light up and share in their personal triumphs and reasoning behind the gifts (birthdays, anniversaries, etc). I help them pick it, design it and everything has our personal touch. We also redesign jewelry; therefore, we regenerate and renew old jewelry and give them the original excitement. We sometimes even write people a check after we charge them for their design because we buy the old scraps of jewelry. When they walk out with jewelry that matches their personality and with a check in the other hand, it doesn’t get better than that!

What was your least favorite aspect about owning a jewelry store?

The American dream is opening up your own business.  At first, when you open a business, you start out working more hours, because it’s your business and you want to see it succeed. For the first 10 years I was working over 100 hours a week! But now, I have a fantastic team in my store and they’re good people that I trust to run the store.

Do you wear/own any of the jewelry you are currently selling?

Yes. I try to showcase my designs for a while before they go in the case.

What is your favorite type of jewelry?

I love all kinds and have a special affinity for colored gemstones.

Why are you involved with the PRSA Gulf Coast Chapter?

Because I do all of the PR for my store (the PR dept so to speak) and my
membership helps me to keep up with the latest goings on as well as finely
tune my professional side. As an entrepreneur, I have to be well versed in
every aspect of making a business successful. And I really like the people I
see at the meetings.

What do you do in your spare time? Do you have any hobbies?

A variety of things; I used to throw knives a long time ago, but now I enjoy reading, I love fishing, sitting on my lanai and watching my butterfly garden, dancing, and I’m working on some books. My friends wonder how I can keep up with myself, but I make time to do other things that I enjoy besides work.

Why the long hair? Does it get difficult to manage sometimes?

My hairdresser kept leaving me voicemails. She was too busy to answer her phone or call me back, so I thought she was too busy to cut my hair and didn’t need my business. With that being said, I came to the conclusion that I don’t need a haircut. I used to have long hair in the 70’s, but people gave me a hard time about it back then. Now all of my guy friends give me a hard time about it, but the girls think it’s sexy! And nowadays, no one has really insulted me about it, it’s much more accepted. It does require a little bit of care but it’s fun! Sometimes strangers pull on my ponytail, but I get a kick out of the attention.

Just a few of Barry’s Mottos:

Attitude is a choice you make and I choose to be happy everyday.

Life is Good

Most people are happy when they come in, but if not, we make sure they are very happy when they leave.

Kylee Pitts – Avow
www.avowcares.org

Where do you currently work?

I work at Avow as the Media Relations Specialist.

Why are you involved in the PRSA Gulf Coast Chapter?

I am involved in the PRSA Gulf Coast Chapter for a number of reasons. For example, I want to represent myself as a young, caring professional in Naples. I want to expand my horizons and knowledge of the PR profession and it’s a good opportunity to meet people in the profession. I look up to people in the industry. I’m 25 and have been in the industry for only 3 years. The people in PRSA have a lot of knowledge, and if I have a question, they are able to help me answer it. It’s also a great networking opportunity.

Do you currently hold a position on the board of PRSA?

Yes, I hold the position of Hospitality Chair. I greet people and collect money, check people in, etc. I wanted to be involved in PRSA so I decided to go for a position.

What is your day-to-day life like at work?

At work I update Facebook and Twitter, basically manage all of the social media. I also draft press releases, update flyers, anything promotion wise. I sometimes take pictures of us accepting a check, etc. With every day comes a lot of variety in my PR-related tasks.

What do you do outside of work? Do you have any hobbies?

I enjoy running half-marathons. I just did one this past weekend at Disney, which I would highly recommend! It was my 12^th half-marathon and I’m still walking a little funny. I’m also working on getting my APR. I enjoy going to events for children’s organizations and volunteering for Naples Junior Women’s Club (serving on their board) and Youth Haven, where they have started a group of young professionals. I have a puppy named Lord Bentley; we chose to add some character to his name because he is a little character.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I know I will have my APR and I will still be at Avow and around locally. Hopefully I will be more seasoned than I am now and more knowledgeable about PR!

Kylee is well on her way to being a great PR pro!